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MUSEUMS
IN TURIN

Cappella della Sacra
Sindone (Chapel of the Holy Shroud):
is not a true and proper museum, but a place of religious
pilgrimage and meditation. It can be found next to the apse
of the Cathedral in Piazza San Giovanni. It was projected
by Guarino Guarini beginning work in 1668 to house that which
is probably the most important relic in the Christian world,
and also one of the masterpieces of the Italian Baroque period.
A terrible fire, though, destroyed the chapel in April 1997,
astonishingly deforming the marble of the casket which conserved
the Shroud, with the force of its heat. The relic was however
saved by intervention of the firemen and now is conserved
by the main altar of the Cathedral. Meanwhile, delicate works
of true and proper architectural reconstruction are being
carried out.

Museo dell’Antichità (Antiquity Mueum):
is situated in Corso Regina Margherita, but the actual entrance
opens up in Via XX Settembre. There are archaeological finds
preserved from the Piemonte area in the ex greenhouses of
the Royal Palace or the, Manica Nuova (New Wing) as it has
been nicknamed. The layout follows the restoration of 1998;
the third enlargement of a partially underground area will
also include the archaeological digs of the Roman Theatre.
The evidence preserved in the collection include objects from
public and private life during the Roman era, epigraphs from
the 2nd Century, where the City’s name appeared for
the first time and decorative ornaments. The chronological
exhibition will take visitors through to the medieval era.

Palazzo Madama:
can be located in the centre of Piazza Castello and its name
comes from the fact that it was once the residence of the
regent to the throne (royal ladies). The architectonic aspect
is more heterogeneous, but the most important change is that
of the façade by Juvarra in 1718. It’s in course
of restoration works and the re-opening was envisaged during
2005: in this way, the Baroque rooms can also be visited as
well as the small Chinese room, the ballroom and the Savoia
tower.

Museo Civico d’Arte Antica (Civic Museum of
Ancient Art):
is housed in the refined ambience of Palazzo Madama and also
in this case, the re-opening was envisaged for 2005. It hosts
important paintings covering an artistic course starting in
the 1400’s and ending in the 1700’s. There are
also examples in the collections of sculptures, ceramics,
enamels, ivory and other examples of applied art.

Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum):
is probably the must famous in Turin and one of the most important
archaeological museums in Italy. It’s housed in the
Academy of Sciences building in Piazza Carignano. The origins
of this collection dates back to 1760 and from that time it’s
been a continuous succession of new acquisitions or donations.
The collection is the third most important in the world for
quantity and quality of pieces (after the Museum of Cairo
and the British Museum in London), and still today, is further
enriched with remarkable pieces like the “Papyrus of
Artemidoro,” 250cm’s in length and dating back
to the 1st Century BC – displaying a magnificent geographical
map. The museum also preserves sacred sepulchres, funerary
equipment, papyruses, statues and reconstructions of entire
tombs.

Galleria Sabauda (Sabauda Gallery):
the other side of the Academy of Sciences building is occupied
by an exhibition of a collection of paintings that was initiated
by the Savoia Family approximately half way through the 16th
Century and to which was added works from the collection of
the financier from Turin, Gualino; previously dispersed in
various embassies in Italy and abroad. The two collections
include works from all the main names in the history of painting,
not only Italian but also Flemish and Dutch.

Museo Nazionale del Cinema – Mole Antonelliana
(National Cinema Museum):
can be located in Via Montebello and is undoubtedly one of
the symbols of the City. It was initiated in 1862 based on
a project by Alessandro Antonelli, who projected it as a temple
and central Israelite seat. It was finally concluded, not
without diverse interruptions and problems of state, in 1889
(the same year of the Eiffel Tower in Paris), reaching a height
of 167.5 metres. An internal lift takes visitors to the small
temple on its summit, from which there’s an excellent
and enjoyable panoramic view of the entire City and its territory.
It’s been the seat of the Museum of the Cinema since
2000. The layout of the museum is on five floors and covers
a surface area of 3,200 square metres. Other than objects,
costumes, posters and set reconstructions, the museum guarantees
one of the most advanced interactive and multimedia installations
ever.

Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli (Art Gallery):
can be located at the summit of the Lingotto establishment
(along Corso Giambone) and its entire reconstruction, which
already gave it precious architectonic elements like the auditorium
by Renzo Piano in 1884 or the “Bolla” that is
the futuristic congress hall at 40 metres from ground level,
is contained in a semi circle structure made of crystal, sustained
by two gigantic steel girders connected to a heliport. The
structure of the Art Gallery, also be Renzo Piano, is nicknamed
“the Scrigno” (writing desk). Desired strongly
by Giovanni Agnelli, it hosts 25 collection masterpieces from
the family. The works begin in the Venetian 18th Century (Canaletto,
Bellotto, Tiepolo) and then move on to impressionism (Manet
and Renoir) and arrive at the avant-garde (Picasso, Matisse
and Modigliani). One curiosity is that visitors can arrive
at the collection by taxi by following both the old helicopter
ramps of the factory as well as the test flight areas on the
summit of the roof.